'Peace, Love and Psychedelic Sixties' opens June 6 at Sheldon
Released on 05/20/2008, at 2:00 AM
Office of University Communications
University of Nebraska–Lincoln
WHEN: Friday, Jun. 6, 2008
WHERE: Sheldon Museum of Art, 12th and R Streets
"Peace, Love, and the Psychedelic Sixties," an exhibition drawn from artworks in the Sheldon Museum of Art collection that were created in the 1960s, opens June 6 at the Sheldon, with a First Friday reception from 5-7 p.m. The exhibition and reception are free and the public is welcome.
The exhibition includes three elements, the largest offering artworks that express the mythologized vision of the 1960s still alive in the popular imagination. These works are colorful, dream-like and even psychedelic. They give the sense of experimentation, vigor and youthful energy associated with the era.
In protest of the Vietnam War, hundreds of thousands of Americans rallied in the streets in the late-1960s. The exhibition also includes a Vietnam portfolio with poetry and art created in 1967 to protest the war. Many artists dissented through print media: from Ad Reinhardt's appeal to United States leaders to end the violence expressed in words printed on airmail stationery to Louise Nevelson's industrial-looking arsenal.
Music was a central form of expression in the 1960s. Musicians participated in civil rights rallies and anti-war protests. Large crowds gathered to hear groups such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones. The exhibition's third element is a series of music posters created by Family Dog in San Francisco to advertise upcoming concerts and appearances. Posters selected for the exhibition document the range of creative expression using color and psychedelic designs and graphics.
In conjunction with the exhibition, the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center will present 1960s films in its Movies on the Green series beginning July 17 and running for six consecutive weeks.
The Sheldon Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 12,000 objects focusing on American art. The museum, 12th and R streets on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln City Campus, is open to the public Tuesday through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For information or to arrange a tour, call (402) 472-2461. Additional information is also available on the Sheldon Web site, www.sheldon.unl.edu.